Born in Brooklyn, New York City, "M.J.", considered a remarkable force at both ends of the floor, ended an NBA career of 15 seasons with a regular-season scoring average of 30.12 points per game, the highest in NBA history (marginally ahead of Wilt Chamberlain's 30.06). He won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls (during which he won all six NBA Finals MVP awards), won 10 scoring titles, and was league MVP five times. He was named to the All-NBA First Team 10 times, All-Defensive First Team nine times, and led the league in steals three times. With all these things taken into account, Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time. Since 1983, he has appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated a record 49 times, and was named the magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" in 1991. He has also appeared on the cover of SLAM Magazine nine times (a record), including as the cover athlete for the magazine's 50th and 100th issues. In 1999, he was named "the greatest athlete of the 20th century" by ESPN, and was second only to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press list of top athletes of the century. His leaping ability, vividly illustrated by dunking from the foul line and other feats, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness."

Early Years

Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, the third son of James and Delores Jordan, who moved the family to Wilmington, North Carolina when Michael was young. Jordan has two older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister, and was the only one of his siblings who did not hold a steady job as a teenager. Jordan was a poor student through his years at Emsley A. Laney High School, and received several suspensions. But he evolved into a A+ student and a three-sport star in football (at quarterback), baseball, and basketball. He was cut from the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year because at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) he was deemed underdeveloped, but over the summer he grew four inches (10 cm) and practiced even harder. Over his next two seasons, he averaged 25 points per game. He began focusing on basketball, practicing every morning before school with his high school varsity coach. In his senior season at Laney High, Jordan became the only high-school player to average a triple-double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists. He was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team as a senior.

NBA career

"The thing about Michael is he takes nothing for granted. When he first came into the league in 1984, he was primarily a penetrator. His outside shooting wasn't up to professional standards. So he put in his gym time in the off-season, shooting hundreds of shots each day. Eventually, he became a deadly three-point shooter."

Early NBA Career

After scoring 16 points in his first NBA game, Jordan took the league by storm in his rookie year, scoring 40 or more points six times en route to a 28.2 points-per-game season (sixth best all-time by a rookie). He also averaged 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. He revived interest in a floundering Bulls franchise, received a spot on the All-Star team, and won the Rookie of the Year award.

In his fourth season, Jordan averaged 35 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, won his first MVP award and the Defensive Player of the Year award (garnering 259 steals and 131 blocks), was named MVP of the All-Star Game, and won his second consecutive Slam Dunk Contest with a dunk from the free throw line. Jordan's Bulls got out of the first round for the first time, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games (with Jordan averaging 45.2 points per game during the series) before losing in five games to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons.

In 1988-89, Jordan averaged 32.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game while finishing second in the MVP voting. In Magic-like fashion, Jordan also recorded 15 triple-doubles during the regular season including a streak of 7 consecutive triple-doubles which saw him record 10 triple-doubles in 11 games. Jordan also recorded 3 triple-doubles while scoring at least 40 points and came 2 assists shy of being the first player ever to record a triple-double while scoring at least 50 points against the Phoenix Suns on January 21, 1989. He established himself as one of the NBA's great clutch performers with a last-second jump shot over Craig Ehlo in Game 5 in the first round of the playoffs. The Bulls, fueled by the emergence of Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant as starters, defeated the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semi-finals before losing to the Pistons in the Conference Finals.

The Pistons, with their punishing, physical play, established a plan for playing against Jordan, dubbed "The Jordan Rules" by Piston Coach Chuck Daly. The Jordan rules involved double- and triple-teaming him every time he touched the ball, preventing him from going to the baseline, hammering him when he drove to the basket, forcing him to the center where help defence could arrive and making him to rely on his inexperienced teammates.

Coach Phil Jackson took over the team in the 1989-90 season, in which Jordan averaged 33.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and finished third place in the MVP voting. On March 28, Jordan recorded career highs of 69 points and 18 rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bulls lost to the Pistons in seven games in the Conference Finals.

The First Three-peat

Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991-1992 season, establishing another new franchise high with a 67-15 record. Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award with a 30.1/6.4/6.1 season. After winning a physical 7-game series over the burgeoning New York Knicks in the second round and finishing off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals in 6 games, the Bulls faced off against Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals. The media, hoping to recreate a Magic-Bird type rivalry in a Jordan-Drexler/"Air" Jordan vs. Clyde "The Glide" rivalry, compared the two throughout the pre-Finals hype. The Bulls would go on to win the game, and then wrapped up the series in six games. Because of his dominating performance, Jordan was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row. Jordan would finish the series averaging 35.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 6.5 APG while shooting 53% from the floor. Drexler finished with averages of 24.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 5.3 APG but only shot 41% from the floor.

In 1992-93, despite a 32.6/6.7/5.5 campaign, Jordan's streak of consecutive MVP seasons ended as he lost the award to his friend Charles Barkley. Fittingly, though, Jordan and the Bulls would end up meeting Barkley and his Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals, in a match-up dubbed as "Altitude vs. Attitude". Jordan's perceived slighting in the MVP balloting only fueled his competitive fire. The Bulls would capture their third consecutive NBA championship on a game-winning shot by John Paxson and a last-second block by Horace Grant, but Jordan was once again Chicago's catalyst. He averaged a Finals-record 41.0 PPG during the six-game series, and in the process became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Finals MVPs. With the Finals triumph, Jordan capped off what may have been the most spectacular seven-year run by an athlete ever, but there were signs that Jordan was tiring of his massive celebrity and all of the non-basketball hassles in his life.

First retirement and gambling allegations

In October 1993, Jordan announced his retirement, citing a lost desire to play the game. Many speculate that the murder of his father, James Jordan, in July 1993 factored into his decision. However, those close to Jordan claim that he was strongly considering retirement as early as the summer of 1992, and that the added exhaustion of the Dream Team run only solidified Michael's burned-out feelings regarding the game and his ever-growing celebrity. In any case, Jordan's announcement sent shockwaves throughout the NBA and appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world. Not since Jim Brown's sudden retirement from the NFL in 1966 had such a dominant athlete walked away from the game at the peak of his abilities.

There have been many unproven conspiracy theories about why Jordan retired in 1993. In the year before his retirement, Jordan had admitted to having to cover $57,000 in gambling losses. Author Richard Esquinas wrote a book claiming he had won $1.3 million in gambling money from Jordan on the golf course. At the same time, Jordan had also been spotted at casinos in Atlantic City. One theory states that the increased scrutiny for Jordan's gambling activities led to a "deal" between Jordan and the NBA, where Jordan would retire for a few years. Supporters of this theory cite Jordan's statement at his retirement press conference as evidence. "Five years down the road," he said, "if the urge comes back, if the Bulls will have me, if David Stern lets me back in the league, I may come back."[1]
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However, three days after his retirement, the NBA cleared Jordan of any wrongdoing and stated that its investigation revealed that there was "absolutely no evidence Jordan violated league rules."

Baseball career

The Bulls without Jordan

In the 1993-94 season, the Jordan-less Bulls notched a surprising 55-27 record (only two fewer wins than the prior championship season, and the 3rd-best in the Eastern Conference). However, the team would ultimately lose to the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs.

"I'm back": Jordan's return to the NBA

Jordan's underwhelming performances in baseball and the professional baseball players' strike of 1994 prompted him to consider rejoining the Bulls. On September 9, 1994, he scored 52 points in a charity basketball game set up by Scottie Pippen (which also happened to be the final basketball game held at the Chicago Stadium), showing that he could still be dominant. Later, on March 18, 1995, Jordan announced his return to the NBA through a two-word press release: "I'm back." The next day, Jordan donned jersey number 45 (his number with the Barons), as his familiar 23 had been retired in his honor during his first retirement, and took the court with the Bulls to face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, scoring 19 points in a Bulls loss.

The Second Three-peat

Freshly motivated by the playoff defeat, Jordan trained aggressively for the 1995-96 season. Strengthened by the addition of rebounder extraordinaire Dennis Rodman, the Bulls dominated the league, finishing 72-10: the best regular season record in NBA history. Jordan won the league's regular season and All-Star Game MVP awards. In the playoffs, the Bulls lost only three games in four series, defeating the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA Finals to win the championship. Jordan was named Finals MVP for the fourth time, surpassing Magic Johnson.

In the 1996-97 season, Jordan led the Bulls to a 69-13 record. However this year, he was bested by Karl Malone for the NBA MVP Award. The team again advanced to the Finals, where they faced Malone and the Utah Jazz. The series against the Jazz featured two of the more memorable clutch efforts of Jordan's career. He won Game 1 for the Bulls with a buzzer-beating jump shot. In Game 5, now famously known as the "Flu Game", with the series tied 2-2, Jordan scored 38 points (including the game-deciding three-pointer with less than a minute remaining) despite being feverish and dehydrated from a stomach virus. The Bulls won 90-88 and went on to win the series in six games. For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Jordan received the Finals MVP award.

Jordan and the Bulls compiled a 62-20 record in the 1997-98 season. Jordan led the league with 28.7 points per game, securing his fifth regular-season MVP award, plus honors for All-NBA First Team, First Defensive Team and the All-Star Game MVP. The Bulls captured the Eastern Conference Championship for a third straight season and moved on to face the Jazz again in the Finals.

Jordan's Game 6 heroics seemed to be a perfect ending to his career. With Phil Jackson's contract expiring, the pending departure of Scottie Pippen (who stated his desire to be traded during the season), and in the latter stages of an owner-induced lockout of NBA players, Jordan retired again on January 13, 1999. At his second retirement press conference, he paid tribute to a Chicago Police officer slain on duty just days before.

Jordan returned for the 2002-03 season newly fitted with orthotic insoles to help his knees, and, (relatively) healthy again, averaged 20 points per game. Playing in his 13th and final NBA All-Star Game in 2002-03, Jordan passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in All-Star history, one of the few scoring records that Jordan did not own going into his second comeback. The 2002-03 season was heralded from the beginning as Jordan's final goodbye to his fans, and he did not disappoint. That year, Jordan was the only Washington player to play in all 82 games, starting in 67 of them. He averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in his final year, shot 45% from the field, and 82% from the free throw line. Even at age 40, he scored 20 or more points 42 times, 30 or more points nine times, and 40 or more points three times. On February 21, 2003, Jordan became the first 40-year-old to tally 40 points in a game, scoring 43 to lead the Wizards to an 89-86 victory over the New Jersey Nets at the MCI Center. While the attendance numbers dipped off slightly in Year Two, the Wizards remained the most-watched team in the NBA with Jordan, averaging 20,173 fans a game at MCI and 19,311 on the road. In addition, the Wizards sold out all 82 home games of the Jordan era, shattering attendance records. However, neither of Jordan's final two seasons resulted in a playoff appearance for the Wizards.

Recognizing that this would be Jordan's final season, tributes to Jordan were given in almost every arena in the NBA. In his final game at his old stomping grounds, the United Center in Chicago, Jordan received a prolonged standing ovation that Jordan himself had to interrupt (by giving an impromptu speech) because the crowd showed no signs of stopping. Out of respect for Jordan, the Miami Heat retired his #23 jersey on April 11, 2003, even though he never played for that particular team. It was the first jersey the Heat had ever retired in their then-15-year history, and it was half Wizards blue, half Bulls red (the jersey has since been replaced with an all-red Bulls jersey). An additional honor was bestowed on Jordan in his final home game at Washington, where he was honored after the game by U.S. Secretary of DefenseDonald Rumsfeld, who presented him with the American flag that flew over the Pentagon on September 11, 2002. At the 2003 All-Star Game, Vince Carter gave up his starting spot at shooting guard to Jordan, and the halftime ceremony was dedicated to Jordan's career, complete with a Mariah Carey musical tribute.

Philadelphia was the setting for Jordan's final NBA game, on April 16, 2003, against the 76ers. Playing limited minutes due to the game's score, Jordan still mustered 15 points despite the eventual Wizards loss. After sitting out much of the fourth quarter, Jordan re-entered the game in the final minutes after the usually hostile Philly crowd serenaded him with sustained chants of "We want Mike!" Jordan left the fans with one final moment to remember him by when, with 1:44 remaining, he sank his last two free throws, and then exited to a standing ovation which would last over three minutes.

After his third retirement, Jordan assumed that he would be able to return to his front office position of Director of Basketball Operations with the Wizards. However, his tenure in the Wizards' front office had been marred by poor executive decisions, which included the drafting of the underperforming Kwame Brown, and may have influenced the trade of Richard "Rip" Hamiliton for Jerry Stackhouse (although Jordan was not technically Director of Basketball Operations in 2002). On May 7, 2003, Wizards owner Abe Pollin fired Jordan as Washington's president of basketball operations. The firing came as a surprise to Jordan, who said at the time, "I am shocked by this decision and by the callous refusal to offer me any justification for it."

However, this would not be the end of Michael Jordan's run in the NBA, and as of June 2006, Jordan has returned to the league in the form of part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. He has the final say in all basketball related decisions. Whether or not he has learned from his mistakes in Washington is yet to be seen, but none can doubt his desire to win.

Washington Wizards club records

After retiring as a player

Since retirement, Jordan has kept himself busy by staying in shape, playing golf in celebrity charity tournaments, spending time with his family in Chicago, promoting his Jordan Brand clothing line, and riding motorcycles (a passion which he could not indulge in as a player, due to NBA contract restrictions). In late 2004, rumors surfaced that Jordan may return yet again to play one season alongside Shaquille O'Neal with the Miami Heat, but Jordan denied the claims, and has given no indications since that he will ever again play in the NBA.

Jordan's legacy

Michael Jordan's basketball talent was clear from his rookie season in the NBA. His dunks, tenacious defense and apparent ability to score at will amazed fans and opponents. After Jordan poured in 63 points against the Boston Celtics in a 1986 playoff game (still a playoff record), Celtic superstar Larry Bird famously described him as "God disguised as Michael Jordan."

Jordan led the NBA in scoring 10 seasons, tying Wilt Chamberlain for consecutive scoring titles with seven in a row, but was also a fixture on the All-NBA Defensive Team, making the roster nine times. Jordan also holds the all time regular season and playoff scoring averages of 30.1 and 33.4 points per game, respectively. By 1998, the season of his famous Finals-winning shot against the Jazz, he was feared throughout the league as one of the game's best clutch performers. In the regular season, Jordan was the Bulls' primary threat in the final seconds of a close game and in the playoffs, Jordan would always demand the ball at crunch time.

With 14 MVPs (5 Regular Season MVPs, 6 Finals MVPs, and 3 All-Star MVPs) Jordan is arguably the most decorated player ever to play in the NBA. Throughout his career, Jordan also finished in the top 3 regular season MVP voting 10 times. Compared to his contemporaries, Magic Johnson finished in the top 3 voting 9 times and Larry Bird who did so 8 times. Earlier players like Wilt did it 7 times and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who has been awarded more regular season MVPs than any other player in the NBA finished in the top 3, 9 times.

Many of Jordan's contemporaries label Jordan as the greatest men's professional basketball player of all time [4]. ESPN conducted an detailed survey of media members, athletes and other sports figures to rank the greatest athletes of the 20th century. Jordan was at the top of the list above sports icons such as Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali.[5]Jerry West once stated that the thing that amazed him most about Jordan was that for all the records and statistics he had put up he was "still the best defensive player in the league [6]."

Jordan was ranked #1 in SLAM magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of All Time in 2003.

Personal life

Jordan is the fourth of five children. He has two older brothers, Larry and James, one older sister, Delores, and a younger sister, Roslyn. He married Juanita Jordan in September 1989, and they have two sons, Jeffrey Michael and Marcus James, and a daughter, Jasmine. Michael and Juanita filed for divorce on January 4, 2002, citing irreconcilable differences, but reconciled shortly thereafter.

On July 21, 2006, a Cook County, Illinois, judge determined that Jordan did not owe a former lover, Karla Knafel $5 million. Knafel said Jordan promised her that amount for remaining silent and agreeing not to file a paternity suit after Knafel learned she was pregnant in 1991. A DNA test showed Jordan was not the father of the child. Knafel's attorney, Michael Hannafan, said his client also will appeal this latest ruling.

Jordan's father, James, was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina, by Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery, who were caught after being traced from calls the pair made on James Jordan's cellular phone. Both assailants were convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Jordan's brother James R. Jordan was the Command Sergeant Major of the 35th Signal Brigade of the XVIII Airborne Corps in the U.S. Army. James gained certain celebrity when he announced, at the age of forty-seven, that he intended to stay in the Army to deploy with his unit to Iraq in support of the Iraq war.

Jordan is a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and has the letter omega (Ω) branded on his chest.

Jordan's son Jeffrey, is a mid-level high school recruit who will graduate in 2007.

Businessman

Jordan is one of the most marketed sports figures in history. He has been a major spokesman for such brands as Nike, Gatorade, Hanes, McDonald's, Ball Park Franks, Rayovac, and MCI. He first appeared on Wheaties boxes in 1988, and acted as their spokesman as well.

Nike created a signature shoe for him, called the Air Jordan. The hype and demand for the shoes even brought on a spat of "shoe-jackings" where young boys were robbed of their sneakers at gunpoint. The innovation of designer Tinker Hatfield spurred the basketball shoe industry to new heights. Subsequently Nike spun off the Jordan line into its own company named appropriately the "Jordan Brand." Athletes who endorse the company include basketball players such as Ray Allen, Michael Finley, Derek Anderson, Eddie Jones, Jason Kidd, Quentin Richardson, Richard Hamilton, and Carmelo Anthony. The "Jordan Brand" has branched out into other sports, with baseball players Derek Jeter and Andruw Jones and football players Marvin Harrison, Ahman Green, Warren Sapp, Jason Taylor, as well as boxer Roy Jones Jr., AMA Superstock & Supersport racer Montez Stewart, and jazz musician Mike Phillips as endorsers. The brand has also sponsored college sports programs such as those of North Carolina, Cincinnati, Cal, St. John's, Georgetown, and North Carolina A & T.

Beginning in 1991, Jordan appeared in ProStars, an NBC Saturday morning cartoon. The show featured Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Bo Jackson fighting crime and helping children.

Jordan has also been connected with the Looney Tunes cartoon characters. A Nike commercial in the 1993Super Bowl where he and Bugs Bunny played basketball against some Martians inspired the 1996 live action/animated movie Space Jam, which starred Michael and Bugs in a fictional story set during his first retirement. They have subsequently appeared together in several commercials for MCI.

After his second retirement, Jordan formed the MVP.com sports apparel enterprise with fellow sports greats Wayne Gretzky and John Elway in 1999. It fell victim to the dot-com bust, and the rights to the domain were sold to CBS SportsLine in 2001.

For many years, Jordan has been the real-life mascot for Nestlé Crunch, appearing on the products and in their advertising.

On July 10, 2006, Jordan was sued by Allen Heckard for defamation and permanent injury and emotional pain and suffering to the tune of $416 million because Heckard "gets comments about his resemblance to basketball superstar Michael Jordan and he's fed up with it". Heckard also sued Nike founder Phil Knight for the same amount.[1]

Trivia

Jordan wore four jersey numbers in his career: his customary #23, #45 after his return from his first retirement, #9 in the 1984 and 1992 Olympics, and #12, an "emergency uniform" worn during a game against the Orlando Magic during the 1990–1991 season after his uniforms were stolen from the visitors' locker room. Wearing a jersey with no last name, Jordan scored a game-high 49 points in a victory over the Magic.

Jordan wore #23 because he admired his bigger brother Larry, who wore #45 at Laney High School. 23 is half of 45, rounded up, because he wanted to be at least half the player his brother was.

Jordan's participation in the 1990 Three-Point Shootout was notable: he scored 5 points, the worst score in the contest's history. However, this dismal performance received little attention because it occurred on the same night that Mike Tyson was knocked out by Buster Douglas.

Jordan wore his UNC shorts under his uniform during NBA games. This is referenced in Space Jam, in which the Looney Tunes find this good luck charm somewhat disgusting, even after Jordan says he washed them after every game.

Jordan liked interacting with hecklers, unlike most NBA players.

After slam-dunking on 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) John Stockton, Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller screamed to the 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Jordan to "dunk on someone your own size." On the next Bulls possession, Jordan drove to the basket and slam-dunked over Mel Turpin, a tough 6-foot-11 (2.11 m) center. Jordan looked over to Miller and casually asked, "Was he big enough?"

After making a three-point shot to help eliminate the New York Knicks from the playoffs, he jogged to the defensive end of the court and waved goodbye to filmmaker and avid Knicks fan Spike Lee.

In Washington, he lobbed a bench towel to a heckler and said, "If you're gonna keep yappin', at least wipe the drool off your chin." The heckler later shouted for Jordan to autograph the towel.

Dikembe Mutombo, then a rookie for the Denver Nuggets, dared Jordan to take a free throw with his eyes closed. Jordan closed his eyes, swished the shot through, and told Mutombo, "Welcome to the NBA."

In the 1997 NBA playoffs, Mutombo—one of the league's premier shot blockers—pointed out that Jordan had never dunked on him. Jordan later drove the lane, soared to the basket, and slammed the ball over Mutombo's reaching hand. Jordan waved a finger at the center, mimicking Mutombo's famous antic which the NBA had deemed taunting, and took the technical foul.

Jordan's college basketball coach was Dean Smith, whose college basketball coach was Phog Allen, whose college basketball coach was the inventor of basketball, James Naismith.

Larry Martin Demery, one of the two assailants charged and convicted in the murder of Michael's father, was wearing a Jordan T-shirt at the time of his arrest.

Jordan chewed gum during games because he believed in a study that showed chewing gum helps the mind concentrate.

An African American professional basketballer also named Michael Jordan who plays in the German BBL was so frequently compared with the NBA legend because of his namesake that he allowed inclusion of his second name to his handle, and was from then on loosely referred to as Michael-Hakim Jordan.

As a high school sophomore, Michael Jordan was cut from the varsity basketball team at Laney High School.

Jordan's final All-Star appearance in 2003 marked the first time in his career in which he was not voted a starter but played for the whole season. That starter turned out to be Vince Carter, who gave up his starting spot to Jordan.

When Jordan suffered a serious foot injury in 1986, he spent his time not only rehabilitating his foot but also in school, where he finally obtained his bachelor's degree in geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jordan's first sport was baseball, where he was a very successful little leaguer.

Jordan is known to not be a very generous tipper, often tossing his golf glove to the caddy instead of money for a tip.